Historic St. Peter's

The Mosaic Flooring

Mosaic Flooring of the Chancel

At
the time of the remodeling of the chancel, the floor was laid in mosaic
after designs by Robert Gibson. The mosaic flooring of the chancel
outside of the sanctuary was the gift of Robert C. Pruyn on April 12th,
1886. It has no specific decoration except the wave-lines on the
chancel steps symbolizing the laver of baptism. The mosaic of the
sanctuary, on the other hand, has an elaborate symbolic treatment, the
chief features of which are the symbols of the four Evangelists and the
sacred monogram at the base of the altar steps.

A small brass plate inserted in the mosaic bears this inscription:

The Pavement of this Sanctuary was
given in loving and sacred memory of
Orlando Meads, Twenty-seven years
Vestrymen and eight years Warden of
this Parish. Died February 11, A. D. 1884.

Mosaic Flooring of the Nave

The
mosaic flooring in the nave was given in 1901 in loving memory of John
Wilbur Tillinghast and his son Wilbur. The pavement was laid by Tretel
Bros. & Co. of New York after designs of J. A. Holzer of New York.
At the time of its dedication on September 29th, the Feast of St.
Michael and All Angels, it was called the handsomest example of its
kind in the country.

The
motif of the decoration extending across the church at the foot of the
chancel steps are the words of Christ,“I am the vine, ye are the
branches.” The central quatrefoil bears the first and last letters of
the Greek alphabet in reference to the first chapter of the Apocalypse,
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Into the
quatrefoil holding the Alpha and Omega strike the roots of a vine,
which, with its leaves and clusters, covers the space in front of the
chancel. It symbolizes Christ, the life-vine of the Church and
Humanity. In its growth it intertwines and holds four large medallions.

The
two on either side of the central symbol bear respectively the pelican,
the symbol of redemption, and the phœnix, the symbol of the
resurrection. The one on the extreme left bears three fishes, one of
the earliest Christian symbols, indicating baptism. The one on the
extreme right bears a ship, a symbol likewise of the earliest ages of
Christianity, indicating the Church. In the intertwining of the
Christ-vine, there are sixteen shields, holding the traditional symbols
of the twelve apostles as well as Moses, David, St. Stephen, and St.
Paul.

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The middle aisle has five large medallions. The first one bears the memorial inscription as follows:

This pavement
was given A. D. 1901
in loving memory of
Joseph Wilbur Tillinghast
sometime Warden of this Parish
and of his son
Wilbur Tillinghast

The
other four medallions enclose shields, which bear the following
symbols: the lamp, indicating good works; the anchor, representing
hope; the crown, representing the celestial reward; and the corporate
arms of St. Peter’s church — the inverted cross of the apostle’s
martyrdom, the mitre, and the key and crosier.

The
side aisles have decorated medallions similar to those of the middle
aisle. The symbolic treatment is taken from St. Mark’s in Venice and
reproduces an ancient type of symbolism. It represents the sacred tree,
identified, some think, with the life-tree in Eden, supported by
various animals which typify various virtues of Christian character. In
the tower-room the decoration gives the little first St. Peter’s, built
in the middle of State Street in 1715.